KareShift vs ShiftCare
ShiftCare charges you more every time you add a worker — and locks features behind expensive tiers. The bigger your team, the more you save.
Try KareShift Free — 90 DaysNo credit card · No lock-in · 90-day trial vs ShiftCare's 7-day trial
ShiftCare charges A$8–A$25 per user per month (Source: shiftcare.com/pricing, Aug 2026). KareShift charges a predictable A$49–A$249/month regardless of team size. At 10+ workers, KareShift costs less. At 20+ workers, significantly less. Both handle NDIS rostering well — but KareShift also includes eMAR on every plan, custom forms on Growth and Scale, and Xero Payroll integration and multi-country payroll export on Scale.
Pricing comparison
Last verified: 28-Aug-2026
ShiftCare
Per-user pricing — A$8 to A$25/user/month (4 tiers: Essentials, Growth, Intelligence, Enterprise)
| Team size | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 5 workers | A$40–A$125/mo |
| 10 workers | A$80–A$250/mo |
| 20 workers | A$160–A$500/mo |
| 50 workers | A$400–A$1,250/mo |
Source: shiftcare.com/pricing, Aug 2026. Annual pricing: A$8/A$13/A$20/user. Monthly: A$9/A$15/A$25/user. Min 5 users.
KareShift
Predictable per-tier pricing
| Plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Starter (up to 5) | A$49/mo + GST |
| Growth (up to 20) | A$99/mo + GST |
| Scale (50 included) | A$249/mo + GST |
Admins always free. No per-user charges. Same price for everyone — no hidden discounts, no sales negotiations.
Annual savings vs ShiftCare Premium (A$25/user — their highest tier)
10 workers
Save A$1,812/yr
ShiftCare: A$250/mo · KareShift: A$99/mo
20 workers
Save A$4,812/yr
ShiftCare: A$500/mo · KareShift: A$99/mo
50 workers
Save A$12,012/yr
ShiftCare: A$1,250/mo · KareShift: A$249/mo
ShiftCare Intelligence tier (A$25/user/mo) from shiftcare.com/pricing (Aug 2026). KareShift prices exclude GST. Competitor pricing and features may change — we verify quarterly. Contact competitors directly for current rates.
Feature-by-feature comparison
✗ indicates the feature was not present in publicly accessible documentation or website at time of verification. Verify directly with each vendor before making a purchasing decision.
| Feature | ShiftCare | KareShift |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | A$8–A$25/user/month (Source: shiftcare.com, Aug 2026) | Per-tier A$49–A$249/month |
| Free trial | 7 days | 90 days (no credit card) |
| Rostering | ✓ All tiers | ✓ All plans |
| GPS clock-in/out | ✓ | ✓ + geofencing |
| SCHADS compliance | Limited | ✓ Full engine (7 allowances) |
| Shift pay preview (cost before you assign) | Not publicly documented as of Aug 2026 | ✓ SCHADS-calculated pay estimate per shift (incl. penalties & overtime) |
| Cancellation policy automation | Not publicly documented as of Aug 2026 | ✓ Auto-charges late cancels / no-shows per your policy window |
| Fill shifts from your existing team (self-claim board) | Public job board is recruitment-focused (shiftcare.com, Aug 2026) | ✓ Open shift board — post unfilled shifts, eligible workers self-claim |
| NDIS funding tracking | Intelligence tier only (A$25/user — shiftcare.com, Aug 2026) | ✓ Included |
| eMAR / Medication management | Not available as of Aug 2026 | ✓ Full eMAR — orders, rounds, PRN, controlled drugs, MAR chart, allergy alerts |
| Custom forms | Intelligence tier only (as of Aug 2026) | ✓ Growth and Scale plans (conditional logic, PDF export, signature pad) |
| Xero Payroll integration | ✓ Xero integration | ✓ Xero Payroll — timesheet sync, employee mapping, earnings rate mapping (Scale plan) |
| Payroll CSV/XLSX/PDF export | Not publicly documented as of Aug 2026 | ✓ Multi-country export (AU: TFN/super, NZ: IRD/KiwiSaver, GB: NI/tax code, CA: SIN/CPP) |
| Invoicing | ✓ Built-in invoicing | ✓ Invoicing with credit notes, receipts, PDF export |
| Progress notes | ✓ All tiers + AI rephrase | ✓ Included (voice dictation built-in) |
| Bulk payment export | ✓ | ✓ Scale plan |
| In-app messaging | Some tiers | ✓ All plans (push notifications) |
| Two-factor authentication | Not publicly documented as of Aug 2026 | ✓ TOTP + trusted devices + admin reset + security audit trail |
| Countries supported | AU, NZ, UK, US, CA (Source: shiftcare.com, Aug 2026) | AU, NZ, UK, CA — country-specific compliance, payroll, pricing |
| Aged care support | ✓ Residential aged care | ✓ Full aged care vertical (AN-ACC, care minutes, SIRS, clinical observations, facility management) |
| Trial length | 7 days | 90 days |
| Data location | AWS (unspecified) | AWS Sydney (care data) |
Honest assessment
Where ShiftCare is stronger
- Larger user base (7,000+ AU providers) and established community
- Native mobile app (App Store / Google Play)
- NDIS PACE bulk claiming (direct NDIA submission, no per-claim fee)
- AI care signals and AI note rephrase (Intelligence tier)
- Public job board for recruiting new workers (KareShift's open shift board fills shifts from your existing team)
- Longer track record (operating since 2016)
- Family/client portal
- Now operates in AU, NZ, UK, US, CA
Where KareShift is stronger
- Per-tier pricing saves money at 10+ workers
- 90-day trial (13× longer than ShiftCare's 7 days)
- Full SCHADS engine (all 7 allowances calculated)
- eMAR — medication orders, rounds, PRN, controlled drugs, MAR chart, allergy alerts, error reports
- Xero Payroll integration — direct timesheet sync, employee mapping, earnings rate mapping (Scale plan)
- Multi-country payroll export (AU/NZ/GB/CA with country-specific fields)
- Invoicing engine with credit notes, receipts, and PDF export
- Custom forms on Growth and Scale plans (conditional logic, PDF export, signature pad)
- Two-factor authentication (TOTP + trusted devices + admin reset + audit trail)
- Aged care sector built-in (AN-ACC, care minutes, SIRS, clinical observations)
- Geofencing on clock-in/out
- In-app messaging with push notifications on all plans
- Voice dictation for progress notes (speak, don't type)
- SIL / Group Homes — 24/7 coverage and ratio tracking built-in
- Worker availability self-service — workers set their own availability
- Shift Offers — broadcast open shifts, workers accept from their phone
- Open Shift Board — post unfilled shifts, eligible workers self-claim (eligibility-checked)
- Smart Worker Suggestions — ranked available workers per shift
- Shift pay preview — see the SCHADS-calculated cost of a shift before you assign it
- Cancellation policy automation — auto-charges late cancellations / no-shows per your policy
- Visit confirmation — GPS + clock evidence and anomaly flags on every timesheet
- Participant goals & outcome tracking — record goals and progress against them
- NDIS service agreements with digital signing
- Worker Self-Onboarding — no admin data entry for new hires
- Data guaranteed AWS Sydney (care data sovereignty)
- Mobile PWA — installs on iPhone + Android, no app store needed
Signs it's time to switch
- Your bill grows every time you onboard a casual
- You need eMAR / medication management, which ShiftCare does not publicly document as of Aug 2026
- You need custom forms or fund tracking but can't justify A$25/user for Intelligence tier
- You want Xero Payroll integration with multi-country payroll export
- You also run aged care and want one platform for both sectors
- You want full SCHADS award calculations built into timesheets
- 7 days isn't enough to properly evaluate the software
- You want certainty your care data stays in Australia
When to stay with ShiftCare
You need AI-powered care signals
ShiftCare's Intelligence tier (A$25/user) includes AI care signals that flag risk patterns from progress notes, and AI note rephrase for compliance-ready documentation. KareShift focuses on structured clinical tools (eMAR, custom forms) rather than AI at this stage.
Your team needs a native app
ShiftCare has a dedicated App Store app. KareShift is a progressive web app (PWA) — installs directly to your home screen on both iPhone and Android, no app store needed.
You need NDIS PACE bulk claiming
ShiftCare includes free NDIA PACE claiming on all tiers — submit claims directly to the NDIS portal with no per-claim fee. KareShift has NDIS bulk payment export and Xero Payroll sync, but not direct PACE portal submission.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, your workers and participants. ShiftCare lets you download your client list and staff list as CSV files (Integrations → CSV Import). Upload them to KareShift as they are — there's nothing to reformat. KareShift recognises ShiftCare's columns, splits names and addresses, and shows you everything before it's saved, so you can fix gaps such as start dates in one go. You can also bring in plans, compliance documents, upcoming shifts, and past shifts and timesheets (kept as history that is never paid or invoiced again) from a CSV or Excel file; we haven't verified ShiftCare's own layout for those, so you confirm each column on the matching screen. ShiftCare's steps last checked 03-Oct-2026.
Yes. Up to 5 workers, no credit card required. The trial includes everything except Xero Payroll sync and payroll export, which need a paid Scale plan. If you don't subscribe after 90 days, your account is simply paused — no surprise charges, no data deletion.
ShiftCare ships AI care signals (risk pattern detection) and AI note rephrase on their Intelligence tier (A$25/user). KareShift invests in structured clinical tools instead — eMAR with medication management, custom forms with conditional logic, and multi-country payroll. Different approach, different strengths.
Different business model. No sales team, no enterprise pricing negotiations, lower overhead from modern infrastructure. We pass the savings to providers. Per-tier pricing means your cost is predictable — it doesn't grow with your team.
Ready to see how much you'd save?
90 days free, up to 5 workers. Everything except Xero Payroll sync and payroll export, which need a paid plan. No credit card required.
Start Free Trial — 90 Days FreeQuestions? Email hello@kareshift.com